Improving the health of mothers and children is everybody’s responsibility. Healthy mothers and children contribute to a healthy family and form the backbone of a prosperous and economically productive society
In the past 25 years, the population of Iraq has increased by more than 50% to about 40 million in 2018 according to most recent civil society organization data, with about 30% of the population living in rural settings.
The population is young, with 13.9% children less than 5-years of age and 22.3% adolescents aged 10–19 years old. Women of reproductive age (15-49) represent 24.7% of the total population1.
Iraq is among 10 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in terms of total fertility rate 3.6 and adolescent fertility rate 70/1000 15-19 girls.2
Decades of conflict, sanctions and political instability have slowed Iraq's progress in reducing child and maternal mortality but improving maternal and child health is a priority in the Ministry of Health’s strategic plans. Reproductive health services are improving after decline following the 2003 conflict but access to reliable data remain somewhat limited.
The UN Inter-Agency Group Estimate for Maternal Mortality Ratio shows a decline in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) from 107 to 50 per 100 000 live births between 1990 and 2015, while according to the Iraq Poverty Map and Maternal Mortality Survey, the maternal mortality ratio was 35.7 per 100 000 live births in 2013.